The Design Pricing Transparency Project

FastCompany: Freelance designers are a vital part of the business ecosystem. They slide into companies’ work streams and make sure that products, apps, websites, logos, and other key deliverables not only function well but look great and attract the right kind of attention. Yet being a freelance designer can be difficult. It’s hard to know exactly what to charge for various projects, what other designers are earning per year, how to stay on top of relentless AI developments (which may actually be hurting quality), and more.

Which is why Fast Company , in collaboration with the American Institute of Graphic Arts, produced the first ever Design Pricing Transparency Project. The Fast Company editors behind the project, Jill Bernstein and Liz Stinson, together with AIGA’s Lee-Sean Huang, co-executive director of learning and programs, discuss the project and the insights it yields.

If you are a freelance designer, you’ll learn: What other designers are charging for various types of projects How much money other designers are making What companies are paying Which AI tools companies want you to know If you work at a company that hires freelance designers, you’ll learn: The market rate for design projects Designers’ biggest pain points when it comes to clients Which AI tools designers prefer If you care about how AI is affecting creative work, you’ll learn: Where in the design process AI is proving to be the most useful How AI is affecting design quality Whether AI is affecting freelance budgeting forecasts for the coming

The project addresses a significant issue in the design industry that affects budgeting and strategy for brands, making it impactful and relevant, while also introducing some novel insights into designer earnings and AI's influence.